


Honey Dripper

by Abraxas



Series: Grantleigh Manor Redux [3]
Category: To the Manor Born
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Humour, Love, Making Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 07:48:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21388624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abraxas/pseuds/Abraxas
Summary: Audrey has big plans for her honey. Richard's plans are less ambitious but much closer to home.
Relationships: Richard DeVere/Audrey fforbes-Hamilton
Series: Grantleigh Manor Redux [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1515896
Comments: 5
Kudos: 9





	Honey Dripper

_Grantleigh, 1966_

Audrey fforbes-Hamilton removed her gauntlets and veiled hat with a feeling of intense relief. It was a glorious summer’s day, but the working gear required for tending her hives was unpleasantly hot in the weather. The loose white suit was meant to offer coolness and ventilation. It didn’t. She peeled it off, enjoying the sensation of fresh air against her skin.

Audrey stowed the discarded gear in a locker, smoothed down her hair and clothes, and stepped into the honey hut. Inside was cooler, the air heavy with the rich, sweet scent of honey cooling in the vats. An entirely new system had been installed – exorcising the horrifying scene of Marton fforbes-Hamilton’s death. Only a few months before and yet it felt like a whole lifetime ago. She shook off the thoughts. Closing the door behind her, she crossed the space to the small office and then stopped at the threshold, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth.

The catalyst for the monumental deviation in her otherwise quiet, rather complacent, life was seated at the desk, scowling at an array of papers and ledgers, a pen clamped between his teeth in place of the cigar he would have preferred. The honey hut, of necessity, was a smoke-free area and Richard DeVere adhered to that dutifully.

With his dark head bent over the ledgers, Richard was unaware of her presence and Audrey indulged herself by looking at her fiancé, her loving eyes taking in the lines of his broad shoulders, the strong hands with their long, dexterous fingers, the frown lines creasing his brow.

‘You look as though you’re locked in a fight to the death.’

He looked up, and the creases of exasperation softened when he saw her. ‘Either they go, or I do.’

‘Wasn’t that Oscar Wilde?’

‘I only quote from the best.’

He removed the pen, stretched out his arms and watched her lazily as Audrey twisted her hair up, clamping it in place with the grip she had left on a counter, and then fanned the back of her neck.

‘It’s so hot,’ she groaned.

‘It certainly is.’

Audrey looked at him, saw the the way he was looking at her and shook her head, trying to control the smile twitching the corners of her mouth. ‘Don’t you ever think about anything else?’

‘It’s so much nicer to think about than anything else,’ he protested. And then grinned at her, his eyes glinting wickedly. ‘Admit it: you’d be highly offended if I spent all of my time thinking about these instead.’ Richard picked up the corner of one of the ledgers and dropped it again with an air of distaste.

‘Possibly,’ Audrey said lightly. Her eyes were drawn again to the pile of documents. ‘How bad is it?’ She tried to keep her voice steady, disinterested, but felt her stomach roil, bracing herself against the answer.

‘I’ve seen some creative accounting in my time, but this… Not wanting to speak ill of the dead-’

‘Don’t let that stop you,’ Audrey said briskly.

‘If I’d run my business like this, I’d have gone bankrupt. It’s a wonder Marton didn’t end up in prison.’

‘Oh Richard!’

He saw the distress in her face and gave himself a mental kicking.

‘I’m sorry. It’s not that bad.’ He stood, moved around the desk to her, rested his hands on her slender shoulders. ‘Everyone who should have been paid has been. There’s no money outstanding.’

Audrey studied his face for a moment. ‘You don’t have to keep pouring your own money into this, Richard. It isn’t right.’

He let out a breath. ‘We’ve been over this before and I’m not going through it all again. We’re either in this – all of it – together, or we’re not in it at all.’

She sighed, nodded. ‘I know. You’re right.’

His eyes widened fractionally. ‘I’m sorry, what was that?’

‘Oh..!’ She hit him on the arm and he laughed.

‘I think I’ll ask Michael to take a look at those books, though,’ Richard said, putting his abused arm around her shoulders. Seeing her uncertainty he added, ‘He’s a professional and he’s discreet. If there are nasty surprises I’ve overlooked, he’ll find them.’

‘I suppose…’ She shook herself. It took time, becoming accustomed to relying on someone and knowing that she could. ‘Will he have time, though? With the wedding coming up?’

Richard regarded her pityingly. ‘Do you honestly think he has any say whatsoever in Sonia’s plans?’

Audrey laughed lightly. ‘No, I suppose not.’

‘It will give him something to do while Sonia’s getting everything ready for her dream location.’

A sceptical eyebrow was raised. ‘Chelsea Registry Office?’

‘If it’s good enough for movie stars, it’s good enough for Sonia.’

She laughed again. Audrey had met Sonia on only two occasions and both times had been left feeling rather breathless by the whirlwind of energy that was Richard’s oldest friend. ‘You can’t argue with that.’

‘I wouldn’t like to try,’ he said with feeling. Then his arm tightened around her sightly and Richard enjoyed the feel of her slim figure against him, breathed in the floral scent of her hair. ‘Come on: the new batch of honey is ready; you know that always cheers you up.’

‘I’m not _un_cheerful,’ Audrey murmured, allowing herself to be propelled out of the office and into the wider space with the vats and the long trestle tables. She leaned happily into her fiancé’s solid frame, his contours, now so familiar, moulding to hers. The more she was with him, the more she wanted him, needed him, in her life. He was like an addiction and she was quite happy to be an addict. She looked up at him and found him studying her, his face serious, that open, searching look she had only seen in their most intimate moments.

She caught her breath. ‘What?’

‘Nothing,’ he said softly. ‘I just like looking at you.’

She brushed her lips against his, lingered there, tasting him, his breath warm in her mouth.

‘See? Not uncheerful at all,’ Audrey said and he laughed at that, drawing her closer to him before they continued to where the jars of honey were lined neatly on a table, glowing gold in the mid-morning sun.

‘That is a lot of honey.’

‘It certainly is,’ Audrey replied, gazing at it with satisfaction. ‘And there’s the beeswax. We can start producing candles soon – maybe even cosmetics.’

‘Cosmetics?’

‘All natural ingredients.’ She disentangled herself from him with a vague feeling of regret, picking up one of the jars, examining its clarity and richness of colour in the light. ‘There’s a demand for that sort of thing now, in some markets.’

Richard nodded thoughtfully, his dark eyes narrowing. ‘Hmm. Very King’s Road.’

‘I don’t know anyone in the King’s Road,’ she said flatly.

‘Well I do. Small, exclusive batches – large price tags.’ For a moment he seemed lost to her, back in the commercial bustle of London that he had so recently left. Sometimes it was hard to suppress the fear that he would miss it, that what she could offer him here wouldn’t be enough.

‘The King’s Road tomorrow,’ Audrey said firmly, her voice a little louder than necessary. ‘Today it’s Taunton. You have a meeting, remember?’

His eyes crinkled, as though he knew what she had been thinking. He reached out, caught the loose the tendril of her hair that had slipped from its clasp and was lying against her neck. He wound it around his fingers, satin-smooth and impossibly soft. ‘I hadn’t forgotten.’ He dropped the curl over her shoulder, his fingertips skimming her jawline. So many moments of his day spent in contemplating her; even when he didn’t mean to, she was in his mind, her glowing eyes and tantalising smile in the middle of ledgers and spreadsheets.

Audrey was quite unlike anyone he had ever known, an endless source of fascination. Her invincible strength and sudden, unexpected, vulnerabilities; the way her face, its fine lines so solemn, would open up with radiant laughter. He loved watching her laugh, the way she would throw her head back, or unashamedly double over, not trying to hide it.

Loved even more when she was in his arms, stripped of all defences and determined to strip him of his.

He watched her as she opened her jar of honey and drank in the aroma, her eyes drifting closed. She pulled herself up to sit on one of the workbenches, crossing her long slender legs. Just like the first time he had been in there, Audrey dipped her fingers into the honey and, just like the first time, he was entranced watching her, the sweet sheen on her lips and fingers and the way she tilted her head back to catch the golden drops.

Audrey let out a sigh of contentment, a low purr in the back of her throat. She was doing it deliberately, Richard thought; she was set on tormenting him to death. Well, he reflected, there were worse ways to go.

Her eyes opened, saw him watching her and her gaze was a deep hazy blue. ‘You should try some.’

Richard stood for a moment, then crossed the space to her. Audrey kept her eyes on him, on the controlled ease of his movements and the smile playing at the corners of his mouth. She didn’t trust that smile, just like she didn’t trust the dark glint in his eyes. She knew that glint and felt an answering flicker spear through her. When he was close enough to her that she could feel the warmth rising from his body, he stopped.

‘You may be beautiful but you’re also a messy eater.’

‘What?’

One finger under her chin and he raised her head slightly, studying her. ‘You have honey on your face.’

Audrey rolled her eyes irritably. ‘Where?’

‘Just here.’ His voice so low it was more a rumble. His breath warm against her cheek and then she felt his lips brush against the corner of her mouth, his tongue capture the sweetness on her skin.

‘Delicious,’ he murmured.

Audrey could feel the breath rattle in her chest, her body – with no say-so from her – arching closer to his. ‘The honey?’

His eyes kindled, danger dancing in those depths. She’d fall into them willingly. ‘That too. Although, I didn’t really notice it.’

‘Maybe you should try some more.’

His smile was lazy. ‘What a good idea.’

Audrey followed his movements. His fingers dipped into the honey; she watched as the excess slid off, raised her eyes to his face and found him studying her thoughtfully. She moistened lips that suddenly felt dry, something tightening behind her rib cage.

‘I also remember,’ he said slowly, ‘your telling me that honey is very good for the skin.’

It was warm against her skin, sticky, a line along her jaw and then down the arch of her neck. She didn’t quite mean to tilt her head back but she did, exposing the column of her throat to his fingers, to his lips that followed the same path. She leaned into him.

Idle fingers flicked open the buttons of her blouse, warm air dancing across her skin and then sweet trails, a spiral across her breastbone and then lower. Viscosity dragging against her skin and every movement slow, deliberate, as though she were a piece of art that he was working on.

Audrey grasped the edge of the table. Any semblance of rational thought was fast deserting her, all her senses focused on him: the feel of his hands and his mouth on her, the burn in his eyes when she would catch his gaze and the sound of her own quickening breathing.

When his tongue flicked against her nipple she gasped, skin tingling, and she twisted her hands into his hair, cradling his head against her breasts, holding him in the circle of her body.

She pressed her lips against his hair, heavy and silken, and she breathed in the scent of him. Desire, insistent, pulsed through her, a dull ache that sharpened as he moved lower still.

She had shrugged her blouse off and it pooled around her waist, the pleasant sensation of warm air against her bare back overwhelmed by Richard’s assault on her senses; her skirt was pushed up, still with that same maddening slowness. Slow circles drawn along her willingly parted thighs, and then his mouth licking the honey from her skin. Higher still and Audrey thought that he wasn’t _actually _going to-

Except he was, he did and her body jolted with a shocked pleasure when his tongue pressed against her, into her, and she bit down on her lip, trying to stifle the cry.

It was the most extraordinary sensation.

Her heart pounded, its beat matching his insistent rhythm; she braced herself against the table, knuckles showing white when she clung to the edge, barely clinging to the edge of consciousness and then his fingers slipped inside her and she tightened around them, pleasure racing under her skin, catching her breath and she gasped his name.

Long moments until the rush through her body receded to a pleasant buzzing and she realised that he had stood up; she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him fiercely, tasting the honey sweetness on his lips and another, unfamiliar, taste layered over that.

‘I can’t believe you just did that,’ she murmured, slurring her words against his mouth.

His hands played along the lines of her back and he laughed softly. ‘If you don’t want me to do it again-’

‘I didn’t say that.’

He laughed again, one hand tangling in her hair, kissing her with a bruising passion that she returned. Audrey released her hold on him, working at his shirt buttons until she could push it down his shoulders. She needed to feel his skin against hers, feel the way hard muscle would flutter under her touch.

Sweetness on his lips and then a slight tang of salt on his skin when she fed on the pulse throbbing in his neck. She ran her hands across his chest, his shoulders, down his arms, feeling his textures. She twined herself around him, legs wrapped high around his body and when he entered her, filled her, she buried her face in the curve of his shoulder.

Audrey could feel herself coming undone and she gave herself over entirely to the feel of him around her, in her, the slide of his skin against hers. She grasped his shoulders, nails pressing into the skin, her body arching against his and the driving need pounding through her. And then desire broke like a wave, overpowering, nerve-endings igniting. His chest thundered against hers and she felt him say her name more than heard it.

Audrey loosened her hold on him fractionally, her arms around his neck, felt his breathing slow, warm against her shoulder where his head rested.

‘I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at honey in the same way again,’ Audrey murmured. Tricky, considering it was her business.

Richard raised his head, his gaze lazy and amused. ‘I would say I’m sorry, but I’m really not.’ He kissed her gently. ‘I told you it was more fun than ledgers.’

Audrey laughed, shaking her head, ran her hand along his cheek. ‘You’re incorrigible.’ He pressed his lips into her palm.

When she slid off the table she felt her legs give slightly beneath her, her body still buzzing, light-headed. She felt as though she were moving in slow motion. Once Audrey had again dressed and regained some semblance of respectability, she found Richard watching her and there was something in his expression – an undisguised tenderness – that twisted around her heart.

‘You really are breathtaking,’ he said softly.

‘I must look a complete mess,’ she said, not quite meeting his eyes and playing with her hair grip. He took it from her hands and, still facing her, caught her hair, swept it up, clipping it into place. The same look of intense consideration as before as he observed the effect. His hands skimmed her face, came to rest on her shoulders.

‘You’re beautiful.’

Audrey linked her arms around him. ‘And you’re very handsome.’

His eyes crinkled. ‘I wasn’t fishing for compliments.’

‘I know. But you are.’

She could still taste the honey on his lips. He kissed her deeply, a familiar exploration, and she tightened her hold on him, felt herself melting into him again – and forced herself to pull back.

‘You have a meeting.’ Her voice was husky, a tremor running through her words.

His rumbled response was incoherent and probably not meant for a lady’s ears.

‘It’s important.’

Richard sighed. ‘I know. Bloody business meetings.’

‘I’d have thought that you’d be used to them by now,’ Audrey said reasonably.

‘I am. That’s how I know they’re bloody.’

Audrey laughed and led the way to the door, followed by her grumbling fiancé. Once outside they parted and Audrey started across the fields towards the manor. The day that had seemed blisteringly hot earlier now felt pleasantly warm, a freshness on the breeze that played against her skin. Lost in a dreamy haze, Audrey was unaware of her name being called until she was almost on top of Marjory Frobisher, and her bicycle, cutting across the footpath towards her cottage.

Audrey smiled and then felt it freeze when she realised that Marjory was chatting to the rector on the other side of the wall.

‘Miss fforbes-Hamilton.’ He nodded politely.

Audrey, suddenly aware of the stickiness of her person and that she was not as completely dressed as polite company would deem acceptable, returned the greeting with a touch of haughtiness – her default position at times of uncertainty.

‘We should make an appointment,’ the rector said, looking at her meaningfully.

She couldn’t feel her cheeks. They were either burning hot or freezing cold – she couldn’t tell. Either way, they were numb with sheer mortification. ‘Oh?’

‘It’s usual, before the wedding, for couples to receive … guidance from their rector,’ he said, giving her what he liked to think was an encouraging smile.

Audrey, feeling slightly hysterical, and imagining what Richard’s opinion of the guidance would be, agreed with a level of enthusiasm that the rector found most gratifying.

Miss fforbes-Hamilton really did seem much more amenable since her engagement. A bit less rigid. Mr DeVere was clearly a good influence, the rector thought with approval. But she still seemed to be working terribly hard, judging by the flush in her cheeks and her crumpled clothing. And there was a most peculiar expression in her eyes. He frowned slightly, thoughtful. A subject for one of their guidance talks, perhaps.

Audrey felt her nerves relax minutely when the rector took his leave. Marjory’s chatter she could deal with – after all of these years, it had become part of the soundtrack of her life.

‘It’s a glorious day,’ Marjory was saying happily. ‘I was watching such a lovely group of long-tailed tits playing in the trees up by Peregrine’s Folly.’

‘Are they the ones that look like a ball on a stick?’ Audrey asked, vaguely trying to show an interest in the conversation.

‘Oh, Aud! Well… Yes, they do.’ Marjory took in a deep breath of air and then another, leaning a little closer to her friend.

‘Is that a new perfume?’

Audrey felt her feet stutter. ‘What?’

‘It’s jolly nice.’

Apart from the stickiness, Audrey also became painfully aware that her body was coated with the combined scents of honey, Richard and sex.

‘Honey. I was in the honey hut.’

Marjory digested this without further question, much to Audrey’s relief. Of course, it was all right for Richard going off to his meeting in Taunton. He didn’t have to run the gauntlet of the locals while probably giving off enough pheromones to give everyone in the district some very interesting thoughts. She hoped to God he’d had a shower before he had set off, otherwise he’d probably have a string of females following him about, like some perverse version of the Pied Piper. The man was a walking menace to womankind.

Audrey was equally glad to say goodbye to Marjory, all but running back to her room once she had made it back inside the manor without further hindrance.

Several hours – and one long bath – later, Audrey was in a more equitable frame of mind. The remainder of her afternoon had been spent in discussion with Mrs Beecham over menus for the rest of the week, approving the next stages of work being carried out on the workers’ cottages and finalising arrangements for an upcoming outing for the OAP Club. It was, therefore, with a sense of time well spent that Audrey stepped out on the terrace shortly before teatime and sank down onto the swing seat with a contented sigh and her thoughts returned to the much more pleasurable portion of her day. She could feel herself drifting again and allowed herself the luxury of closing her eyes, her head sinking back into the soft cushioning.

‘Stands the Church clock at ten to three? And is there honey still for tea?’ A voice behind her intoned the familiar words.

Audrey started, looked over her shoulder and then glared at the newcomer. ‘Oh, it’s you.’

Richard grinned at her. ‘You look like an English idyll. A perfect addition to the scenery.’

‘Never mind flattery,’ Audrey said severely. ‘I ran straight into Marjory _and _the rector after… Well, _after. _It isn’t funny!’

‘No…’ Richard gasped, cleared his throat, tried again. ‘No, of course it isn’t.’

Audrey narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Odious man. I got some very funny looks from the rector. Stop laughing!’

It was a some time before Richard was able to obey that command. Audrey grumbled at him, made a show of not giving any space to him on her swing seat, but somehow he was beside her, his arms capturing her and her back rested against his chest. ‘Marjory thought I was wearing a new perfume,’ she said, continuing her complaint.

Richard breathed her in. ‘You do smell good.’

‘I’ve had a bath since then,’ Audrey replied with immense dignity.

His words were murmured against the side of her neck. ‘You still smell good.’

‘Don’t think you can get around me that easily.’

‘I did buy you a present in Taunton.’

Immediately, her blue eyes flashed with excitement and she twisted around. ‘Ooh, what is it? I love surprises!’

Richard presented it to her with a flourish. For some moments, Audrey regarded the object wordlessly.

‘We have honey drippers,’ she said eventually. ‘In fact, we have many.’

‘Ah, but do you have one with your initial on?’

Audrey looked at the intricately carved A and raised one inquiring eyebrow.

‘For special occasions,’ Richard said gravely.

She felt her lips twitch and shook her head. ‘I’m starting to think that you are a deeply immoral man.’

‘I very much hope so.’

‘You are impossible,’ she informed him.

‘Mm-hm.’

‘Incorrigible.’

‘Mm.’

He had pulled her closer, his breath against her lips, the world growing blurry.

‘Insatiable.’

‘Only for you, darling,’ he murmured.

His hands tangled in her hair; she grasped his lapels, pushing herself closer to him.

‘So, is there honey still for tea?’ There was a huskiness in his voice, like roughened velvet.

‘There is, sir.’ Brabinger’s voice inserted itself from somewhere behind the swing seat. ‘If you and madam would care to come inside, we are ready to serve.’

Audrey, her head against Richard’s chest, tried to stifle her giggles.

‘One of these days,’ Richard said conversationally, ‘when he least expects it, I’m going to creep up behind Brabinger and push him into the lake.’

Audrey wiped her eyes. ‘You’ll have to get him up there first.’

‘I have my ways,’ Richard said ominously.

‘Come on. I’m starving.’

‘I’m not surprised.’

At the doorway, Audrey turned back and retrieved her new honey dripper from the swing seat. She flashed him a tantalising smile. ‘Just in case.’

‘Audrey, you’re my favourite woman,’ Richard said fervently and followed her inside.


End file.
